Green News Blog

May 5, 2008 - There currently are no stable regulatory protocols preventing illegally harvested rainforest hardwood to be used in furniture and imported to countries around the world. However, this is likely to change in the near future. As reported by the Environmental News Network, The European Union's Environment Commissioner, Stavros Dimas, is readying a proposal that will require wood product importers and retailers to be transparent about their wood sources.

This would entail showing how and where the hardwood was obtained, as well as where it is being sent in the next stage according to supply and production chains. In essence, this would serve to put pressure on EU member governments to stop importers from purchasing illegally harvested rainforest hardwood products, which are commonly used in outdoor patio furniture.

Companies affected the most would be those operating out of The Netherlands that sell flooring and doors made from a tropical hardwood known as merbau, which is harvested out of rainforests in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. According to a 2007 survey of 300 companies selling merbau in The Netherlands, not a single company could verify whether their merbau was legally and sustainably harvested.

With such a large number of heavyweight companies in the business of hardwood furniture, you would thing there would be a great deal of opposition to such legislation being proposed by the EU. However, with support from French Environment Minister, Jean-Louis Borloo, and the world's largest supplier of home furnishings, IKEA, the legislation stands a great chance. IKEA has already vowed to make 30% of the hardwood products it retails in compliance with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards by the end of next year.

And it is these standards, which the EU is likely to adopt and hopefully benchmark against other systems that hardwood importers may seek to use. EU Environment Commissioner Dimas plans to introduce the proposal by the end of this month. It will take an approval by EU governments and the European Parliament in order to become law.

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